Railway car truck



Nov. 9, 1943. J. A. SHA1-ER RAILWAYv CAR TRUCK Filed April s, 1941 2 sheets-$11591 1 -1m 2 20J n m 9 l. n -il f N, lllll V41 7 H H M .b d ZL AMES A. SHAPE@ EMA/136% Patented Nov. 9, 1943 UNITED STATE assases enreur ori-nce;

RAILVYAY CAR TRUCK Application April 3, 1941, Serial No. 386,683

(Ci. 30S- 38) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to railway car trucks, and more particularly to means for limiting angular movement of the side frames relative to the car axle.

Certain types of railway car trucks are made with the bolster and side frames separate, that is, they are of the non-rigid Variety. On some of these trucks the side frames are joined together only by the bolster and the axles and there is looseness in the parts that permits the side frames to angle relative to the bolster and axles. In other trucks the side frames are joined together beneath the bolster by a spring plank which is either riveted to the side frame or i-lts over dowels on the spring seating portion of the side frame. After these latter types of trucks have been in service a while the rivets loosen or the connections between the dowels and Y spring plank become worn, and the extent to which the side frame can angle with respect to the bolster and axles is increased. When this angled condition occurs the truck is said `to be out of square.

The trucks can go out of square only a certain amount as the angling of the bolster relative to the side frames is limited by the closeness of fit between these parts. However, the contacting surfaces on the side frames and bolster, or between the side frames and spring plank Where used, are not always located so .as to limit said angular movement to such an amount that would prevent stresses being placed on other parts of the truck. This is particularly true when the parts have become Worn. I have found 4tha-t quite frequently, especially. in vspring plankless trucks, the thrust lugs on the journal bearing member have broken 01T dueto the stresses` imposed on this member Which/it was not designed to resist.

An object of the present invention is therefore to provide means in the journal box to prevent stresses other than thrust stresses from being placed on the bearing thrust lugs when the truck tends to go out of square.

A further object of the invention is to provide means to limit angular movement vof the wedge member so as to Vprevent undesired stresses being placed on the bearing member.

Other objects and advantages Will .be referred to in connection with the accompanying drawings, in Which: i

Figure l is a horizontal sectional view through a journal box embodying the invention, taken on line I-l of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical sectionalview, taken on line 2--2 of Figure l. Y

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional View of the upper part of a journal box embodying the invention. I

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional View, taken on line lof Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view through a journal box, showing a modification of the ine vention; and

Figure 6 is a view showing the bolster and axles angled with respect to a side frame, one of the journal boxes being shown in horizontal section.

It will be observed from Figs. 2 and 3 that the bearing member l which rests on journal l l has an upper portion l2 formed by sloping surfaces I3 and horizontal surface I4. The wedge member l5 has a recess on its underside formed by surfaces I6, sloping similarly to surfaces I3 on the Wedge, and a horizontal surface Il which joins surfaces I6. A slight clearance is provided between surfaces I3 and i6 so as to assure seating of surface Il on surface I4. It will therefore bel apparent that by this interiitting of the members, angular movement of journal H relative to the journal box will cause substantially simultaneous angular movement of bearing member l0 and Wedge 1 5.

Projecting inwardly from each side wall of the box is a stop lug `IB adapted to be engaged'by the usual thrust lugs i9 extending laterally from bearing member i6. As the journal moves to the right, as viewed inFig. 3, the rcollar 2B of the journal contacts end 2| of the bearing member and moves the latter until lugs i9 engage stop `lugs I8. Movement of the journal relative to the box is thus limited in one direction by the engagement of these lugs. As the journal moves to the left, as viewed inFig. 3, fillet 22 of the journal engages a corresponding surface 23 of the bearing member until lug 24 of the latter member engages the inner end of Wedge l5. The wedge then moves with the journal and bearing member until end surface 25 of the Wedge engages lugs '26 depending from the upper wall of the journal box. Adjacent lugs i8 are stops 2l having surfaces 28 adapted to engage the side of the wedge to limit lateral movement thereof relative to the box.

In Fig. 6 is shown the effect of out of square running of a truck vhaving conventional journal boxesintegral with the side frame. The axles :have been angled to such an extent that further angling of either axle relative to its journal box is resisted by the Vbearing:member 'and wedge acting as an integral or single member in engagement with the box at points a and b. At point a the engagement is between end surface 25 of the wedge and lug 26 `ofthe box, while at point b the engagement is between lug I9 of the bearing member and stop lug I8 of the v box. The bearing and wedge under these conditions act as a single member due to the V- shaped engagement between the members, in conjunction 'with the engagement between lug 24 and the end surface of the wedge. Therefore,V regarding the members as bein'gintegral, point a in effect becomes a pivot point, while point b becomes the point of application of the force acting to resist further pivoting of the axle. Theforce which has drawn the truck out of square is acting at the opposite end of the axle at right angles thereto and is caused by the flange drag which occurs between the flange of the wheel at that end and the rail. It will be apparent that since this latter force acts at the 'of the axle is impossible.` Lug I9 of the bearing member may, as shown, engage stop I8 ofy the box. However, when such a condition occurs, the end surface 25 oftherwedge member does not engage stops 26 of the box, and therefore it will be evident that the only force to which lug I9 can be subjected will be one directed longitudinally of the axle as ispaused by lateral movements of the truck. This latter force is of` much smaller magnitude than that which acts on lug I9 when the wedge member pivots about some point on stop 26, as previously described. Flirthermore, if end surface 25 of the wedge is moved into engagement with stop 26 the only force .which can act on lugl I9 will still be one directed longitudinally of the axle due tothe aforesaid engagement between the wedge and stops 30, as

opposite end ofthe axle its momentarm about point a is considerably greater than the moment arm of the reacting forceat b' and thatv therefore said reacting force on lug I9 may attain excessive proportions. The wedge and journal box being made of steel are strong enough to withstand the stresses to which they are subjected under the above conditions. The bearing member, however, is made of brass, and lugs I9,

whileY adequate to resist normal lateral thrusts against stops I8, are not strong enough to resist an vexcessive force as may be imposed thereon under the aforesaid conditions when vthe truck goes out ofsquare, resultingin failure ofthe lug in which stresses are thus induced. 'I'hetruck may go out of square and thus produce the condition above described during travel of ,the car around a curve or on a straight track at high speed; When the truck goes out of square on a curve it is maintained in that position throughout the length of the curve so that under this condition only one of the lugs I9 is engaged, as is shown in Fig.V 6. Furthermore, the force against lug I9 acts throughout the curve or until the lug fails. At high speeds on a straight track it has'been found that under certain conditions the side frames of a truck may see-saw back and forth,constantlythat is, one moment vthe truck will go out of square with one frame inthe lead and the next instant With'the opposite frame in theV lead. Under these condif .tions lugs I9 will. alternately be subjected `to an impact by contact with stops I8. The stresses thus produced in the lugs during travel of the truck along curves or on straight trackat high speeds have caused the failure of 'either one or both of them.

`In order to limit the angular movement between the bearingand wedge members and the journal box, the box is provided with horizontally disposed stops 30 adjacent sides EH of the wedge memberand conformingrgenerally inoutline thereto. These stops are adapted to'limit the angular movement ofthe `wedge to such a position that at no time can the bearing move to a position in which lug I9 thereof will serve toresist angling of the axle and thereby be subjected to excessive stresses. InFig. 1 is .illustrated thev effectivenessv of stopsA 30 in limiting the angling of the wedge and consequently the angling of the ibearing.y member and of the'axle.

Here, the axle has .been angled toa positionin l at c and d.

The undersurface -32 of vstops 30' is sloped downwardly toward the side walls of the journal box so that inthe event the box is accidentally raised and angled to a position in which the top surface of the wedge member engages surface 32, the slope thereof will act to cause the box to return to normal position.

In the form of the inventionshown in Fig. 5

the journal box is of the usual construction. The wedge memberis the same as inthe previous embodiment but is provided with a lug 35 at one end thereof which is received between the'ends.

of stops 26 and is adapted to engage end faces 36 thereof during angling of the wedge. This engagement in conjunction with engagement of the wedge with surface 28 of stop 21, as at f, will effectively limit angling of the Vwedge and also the bearing member, and lugs I9 will not be i called upon to resist angling of the axle as the truck tendsto go out of square. Lugs I9, therey m addition, a ear truck embodying the invention' will run out of square only to the extent ofthe limited amount of angling permitted between the wedge and the journal bo Y The terms and expressions which'I have employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and I have no intention, in the use oi.'v such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but recognize thaty various modifications are possible within thel scope of the invention claimed.

What I claim is:

1. A journai'box having intertting wedge and .bearing members adapted to support-said box on ,a journal, said members :being adapted to move substantially as a unit langularlyy of said box, stop lugs in said box at the sides of -said members, said bearing member having projections on the sides thereof adapted to engage said lugs to limit longitudinal movement of said bearing member relative to said box in one direction,

and stop means on each side of said stop lugs having surfaces extending longitudinally of said box adapted to be engaged by saidlwedge member to limit angling of said members in a horizontal plane. i. I

2. A journal box having intertting wedge and bearing members adapted to support said box on a journal, said members being adapted to move as a unit angularly of said box, stop lugs in said box at the sides of said members, said bearing member having projections on the sides thereof adapted to engage said lugs to limit longitudinal movement of said bearing member relative to said box in one direction, and stop means at the forward and rear ends of said box adjacent the sides of said Wedge member, said means being adapted to engage diagonally opposite sides of said Wedge member to limit angling thereof a predetermined amount.

3. A journal box adapted to receive a journal, wedge and bearing members, said box comprising a pair of side Walls, means intermediate the ends of said box projecting inwardly from said Walls and adapted to limit movement of said Wedge member laterally of said box, and longitudinally extending stop means adjacent said first named means projecting from said Walls and adapted to maintain said Wedge member substantially in longitudinal alignment with respect to said box, the under surface of said means being sloped upwardly from said side Walls.

JAMES A. SHAFER, 

